Trawling gear



Jan. 26, 1932. J. F. H. TEMPLER TRAWLING GEAR Filed Nov. 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 26, 1932. TEMPLER 1,843,050

*rmwmue GEAR Filed Nov. 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 26, 1932 .uN rEo STATES PATENT oreica JOHN FRANCIS HARVEY TEMPLER, OF EAL-IN G, LONDON, ENGLAI TD TRAWIQING GEAR q Applicationv filed November 5, 1928, Serial No. 317,374, and in Great Britain November 9, 1927.

The inventionrelates to trawling gear and especially to trawl boards, in some cases known as otter boards, for keeping open the mouths of fishing nets.

T3 In certain forms of such boards, the towangle between the two parts of the board,

ng .w arp' is'att-achedto the board at some little distance fromthe leading edge, thereby providing as it were a re-entrant angle and increasing the liability of the gear to foul submarine cables or-other obstructions. Considerable expense is inthis way incurred due to loss1of or damage to nets, loss of time and so forth. i

' A main object of the present invention is to provide a form of board in which such a tendency to foul cables or other obstructions is reduced or eliminated. lVith such an object, the present invention consists ina trawl board having the charac- 3 teristics hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are of a diagrammaticnature and il-. lus'trate only certain forms of the invention by way of example Figure 1 shows a diagram of a developed board in which the two operative areas are in one plane,

Figure 2 being a View to indicate the actual while Figure 3 shows a similar view of a modification in which the two parts of the board are merged into one another by a curve; Figure 4 shows a plan view of such a board in about the position it assumes in use,

Figure 5 being a side view of the board as seen in the direction of the arrow, 00, in Figure 4, and

Figure 6 a front view of the board as seen in while finally Figure 7 shows a plan view of an alternative arrangement in which the board is towed by means of a streamer.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one form, see Figure 1, the developed and idealized board has the geometrical form of a rectilinear plane triangle, ABC, the towing warp or the like being secured the direction of the arrow, 1 of Figure 4; V

at the angle, B, either dircctly or by way of the usual bridle. To obtain the actual form of the board, a perpendicular, AD, is drawn from the angle, A, to the opposite side, BC, and the rear part, ACD, of the board bent about the line, AD, through an angle of about as indicated in Figure 2.

Good results are secured in practice if the leading part of the board corresponding to the triangle, upturned portion, ED is twice DC.

Structurall'y, the body of an otter board according to the present invention may be built up of wooden planks secured versely to longitudinal steel formers, such formers serving to take the wear if the board is towedover the sea-bottom, but any other suitable construction may be used. In addition, stifieners may be provided in particular one or more such connect the upturned front the board, so as to assist it forces.

ADC, or

in other words if stiifeners may and rear parts of to resist deforming A two-plane board in accordance with the 75 present invention, towed through the v: ter from its leading point will exercise, or may be ba-llasted or equivalently formed to err. rcise, a lifting (or diving) force in addition to a spreading force, by virtue of the hydrodynamic forces acting on it.

Such boards, right-handed on the one side of the net and left-handed on the other; may be secured to the towing tackle in di'lferent ways.

For example, referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, both the towing warp, a, and the net rope, 6, maybe attached at the angle, B, of the board at a considerable distance in advance of the net, the direction by the arr-owed chain line, AE. Under proper conditions for lift, the board will assume such a position that the points, B and C, are about level while the point, A, is at the lower level, a lifting and obtained.

If, however, by ballasting or inclining locally the forward or rearward edges of the planes, the point, A, rises to or above the level of D, the board will then exercise a div- W5 is then ABD, is double the area of the transif desired and of advance being shown a spreading force being thus ing force in addition to the spreading force, thus providing a method of working sometimes useful in fishing between depths.

Or again, (see Figure 7), the angle, B, of the board may be attached by a streamer, 0, 0 any convenient length to a point in the towing warp,-or alternatively, to thepoint where the towing warp is attached to Athenet, the streamer, 0, in this case extending in a rearward direction, if desired to such an extent that the boards lie behind the net.

Any other convenient form of attachment may be used.

Or-again, a series-of such boardswith varying proportions of lift and spread may be attached (to the head rope/of J-thenetiso as to keep the latter openboth laterally. and vertisally.

I-Apant from the attachment of sthe relative rope or ropes to the apex of theboar'd, the latter is entirely tfiree to .assnme'fits natural position whenamovingithron'ghathe water.

It will lee-seen that a board according to the present-inventionhas no re-entrant angle between the towing warp and'the body of the boarder in the-body of the boarditself and is thus less likely to foul obstructions;

Varionsmodifications may be made aim the contour or structure *of the improved board without exceeding the scope :of :the invention.

"-Havingnow described: my :invention, what I- c-i-aim as new anddGSlIB'tOSC11T@:byl:6ttES Patent is.:- r

'1. A ftrawl :board -:of :the kind vi-n-tilieivted having a frentboard-like part-of' t'hexshape ofa t-riang'le, .sa:id :tria-nglezhaving. a base and a leading-zapex'opposite :saidubase, for :the attachment o fsaid towing Warp; and-1a rearboard-like part secured to saidbase ofzsaid front part sand 1 at "angle to jthe plane thereof. v

- angle directed downwards v 7. A trawl board of the kind indicated, comprising front and rear board-like parts angled to one another about a certain connection disposed obliquely to the line of ad Vance of said board, to form an open trough, said board streaming freely from a leading point of said; front part remote from said eonnectiomsaid leading-paint providing the sole .point of attachment for the towing means.

4 '8. A trawl board er the kindindicated, comprising front and rear board-like parts angled to one another to form a dihedral when said-board is towed and open above, said board streaming fireielyi'zromiasleading point ofsacid front partr rate from :thejunotion of said boardlike parts, :said ieading pointiprovviding the sole point of attachment; ifOl the towing means."

':9 .e;A ztrawl iboard inf the kind indieatmzl, oomprisin'gia front board-dike part converging to :a1l'eadingfapex'land a rear board-like part angledtosaidfront part: to form 12111 1319611 trough, :sa-id :boa-rd streaming 1 said leading apex which:provides :thexsole point of attachment for. the towingimenns.

10.;A trawl board of the kind indicated, eonrprisingra iifront broard likeparhhwing a straight-line base and :sides nonverging'to form a leading providing the sole'point of attachment for the towing means; imdsa rear '='board-li=ke "part seemed to said straightl-ine :base of :said front part: and :inelined vat an angle to said front r-part, .said lboard like parts forming an open trough.

In testimony whereof I. haveusigned my name :to this :Sp eoification.

' LIUHNw -FRMCIS .HARVEY EH'IMIJLER.

- 32. A trawl boa-rdzas 'olain-red'in-elaini 1,-in A which-,alsorsaidzrear part has the-shapeaof a plane triangle. v

A trawl board 'of rthe kind indieated formed of two plane triangular parts secured to one another base :to base, the apex-opposite the base ofrme of said parts prowidf'nrgthe sole point of attachmentforthe towing warp.

4. A trawl board as claimed in claim 3,.in which-said parts take the form. of rightangled triangles and "said bases: are. constituted :by sides of- :said ztriangles other than thehypotennses. i

trawl board as claimed in claim are which said parts angleid triangles with the right angles pose r *6. .A trawl board of the kind indicated formed of two board-like :pa'rts angled together about a connection running in a certain :dire'ctiom one of said parts converging from :said connection to :an apex providing the sole point of attachment for the towing means. a

freely I from ist 

